The Rich and the Poor
by YuriFan300
Summary: Tamao goes to a new school and meets a cute red-haired girl who quickly becomes friends with her. But when Tamao starts to have feelings for her, how will things go for them? Will they stay together? Or will another girl's rivalry take away Tamao's most precious love?
1. Love at First Sight

**The Rich and the Poor**

**Pairing: Nagisa x Tamao**

**Genre: Romance/Drama**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! My name is Yurifan300. This is my first Nagisa x Tamao fanfiction. Heh, yeah, I've watched this series a while back and now that I think about it, I starting to think Nagisa should really be with Tamao. I mean, I like Shizuma, but considering all the drama between them, I'm kind of starting to be a little disappointed in those two. Besides, I consider Tamao the best because not only is she with Nagisa all the time, but she's also very caring and will do anything to help her. I like Nagisa x Tamao a lot better now. So, please, enjoy the story.**

On one beautiful morning, 15-year-old Tamao Suzumi wakes up from her big bed, sits up to stretch out her arms and gets out of bed to open the huge curtains and enjoy the view.

"Wow!" she says with a smile. "What a perfect day for my first day!"

She rushes in to grab a few towels, heads to the bathroom and does a quick shower. Once she is done with everything, and dries herself off, she puts on her new school uniform, which is mostly brown colored on the top and black for the skirt. Once she looks at herself in the mirror to do last minute checking. Once she gives herself a nod, she runs downstairs to the kitchen, where a maid is cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Miss Yoshimi," she greets.

The maid with blonde hair named Takara Yoshimi turns and smiles. "Oh, good morning, Miss Suzumi. Your breakfast is almost ready."

"Okay," Tamao says as she looks around to notice that something's missing . "Um, where's Mom and Dad?"

"They left to go to work early," the maid replies. "So, they left me in charge to take care of you." She puts the last pancake on the plate and serves it on the table. "Your breakfast is ready."

Tamao smiles and sits down at the table and takes the first bite on the pancake. "Mm! This is really delicious!"

"I'm glad, Miss Suzumi," the blonde maid says. "Would you like anything else, my lady?"

"No, thanks. I'm all good."

The maid bows. "Very well." Takara has been not only Tamao's maid, but to her parents as well. She's been doing this for a long time now. Whenever Tamao's parents need to go on a business trip or leave Tamao alone to keep watch, Takara is always the one who watches over Tamao. Tamao loves Takara as much as her parents because she's very caring and always looks out for her, despite serving them.

As Tamao is eating, Takara takes a look at Tamao's long blue hair. "Ahem, excuse me, my lady?"

"Yes?" Tamao looks at her maid. "What is it?"

"Your hair. Do you want to do anything with it?"

The young girl touches a few strands and then looks up. "No, not really. Why?"

"I'm thinking that on your first day, you should at least style it or something. But it's your decision, my lady. I apologize if it's uncomfortable for you."

"No, no, it's actually a good idea," Tamao says. "I've always worn my hair down for a long time, so changing it up won't hurt. Do you have anything in mind?"

"I certainly do," Takara says, smiling.

"Really? What is it?"

The blonde maid giggles. "Finish your breakfast and I'll show you."

Tamao quickly nods as she finishes up the last pancake. Takara takes the plate and places it in the sink and leads Tamao up to her room. In the bathroom, after Tamao sits on the chair, Takara takes Tamao's hair, brushes it with her fingers for a bit and then, brabbing a big white ribbon, she forms the hair into a small bun and ties it to keep it still. Takara then grabs a mirror and gives it Tamao.

"Well, what do you think, my lady?" she asks.

Tamao's eyes widen as she looks at he new hair style. "Wow, Miss Yoshimi! I like it! When in the world did you come up with this?"

Takara just winks at her. "Let's just say that I know some people."

Tamao checks it again. "This is amazing! Do you think you can teach me sometime?"

'Sure thing, my lady," Takara replies. "Now then, you must get ready, dear, or you're gonna be late."

"Yes, ma'am." Getting up from her seat, she rushes out of the bathroom, grabs her bag and waves good-bye to her maid.

* * *

><p>The school is a few blocks away, but to Tamao, it seems like an awful lot of time. Being late on her first day isn't good for her, considering she comes from a rich family, so gathering up all her strength, she sprints down the path to the school, which took about 5 minutes.<p>

When she finally arrives, she stares at the huge school building with a sign that says, "Kosabi High." Looking around her, there were a lot of boys and girls entering the school, wearing the same uniform as her. Smiling happily, she runs to the entrance as well. Inside, there were loads of teens, the same age as her and older than her, chatting away while standing near their lockers. others are either walking straight to their classrooms, or having fun bullying the freshman. Tamao shivers at a sight of a little freshman boy being picked on by a male senior. She hopes that it won't be her someday.

Taking out her schedule, Tamao sees that homeroom is her starting period, but has no idea where room B223 is. Looking up, she notices a map stuck on the wall with different colored lines for guidance. Smiling, she thought this could be of use so she begins reading it, starting where it says, "You are here." After about a minute, she now finds that her homeroom is on the second floor on the 200's section. Adjusting her bag, she starts to run up the stairs when she hears a clatter of books drop on the floor.

"Aw, man!" a girl's voice whines. "I'm gonna be so late to class if I keep this up!"

Tamao turns to a girl with red hair, tied into a small pony-tail, probably the same age as her. Seeing how desprate the girl is, Tamao starts to feel bad for her. She probably wants to find her way to class immediately as well and it's only 5 minutes until class starts. She walks over and helps the red-haired girl pick up the rest of her books.

"Here you go," she says as she looks up at her.

"Oh, thank you!" the girl says, smiling.

When Tamao looks at the girl's face, she can't help but stare at her in awe. Her heart starts beating a little while handing her the book. _She's so cute!_ Tamao thinks to herself.

"U-um . . . miss?" the girl says.

"Ah! Oh!" Tamao shoots back to reality and blinks a few times. "I-I'm sorry! I must have spaced out a little!"

The red haired girl giggles. "It's alright! I'm kind of spacey myself. I have no idea where I'm going in this huge building. And there's so many people!"

Tamao nods in agreement. "Yes, I know."

Both of them stand up.

"Well," the red-haired girl says. "Thanks for your help."

"Oh, no problem," Tamao replies with a smile. "I'm always happy to help." There's a slight blush on her face, but doesn't know why.

"I'll see you later."

As the girl starts to leave, there's a worried look on Tamao's eyes. What if she can't make it to her class and ends up getting completely lost? After what she's done for her, she knows that the girl needs more help. She will do anything to help anyone, even if it means being late on her first day.

"Wait!" Tamao cries, grabbing her wrist without thinking.

The girl swiftly turns around, shocked. "Wh-what is it?"

There is a blush on Tamao's face again from the girl's stare. "U-um, if you like, I can help you get to your class."

"Really?" The red-haired girl gasps in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Tamao nods. "I was thinking you'd be completely lost for a while, so that's why I'm offering more help. What's your room number?"

"Oh! Um . . . I have it somewhere in my schedule! Hold on! Let me get that out!" She frantically takes out the paper out of her bag, which makes Tamao giggle at this sight. "Um, my homeroom is B223."

The blue haired girl gasps. "No way! That's my number too! Both of us have the same homeroom class!"

"Oh, my gosh!" the red-haired girl says, excitedly. "To think that I want to see you again, we are actually in the same class! That is so cool!"

Tamao laughs. She's so happy and excited about it as well. "Well then, I think now's a good time for me to properly lead us to our classroom."

"Yes! Please do!" the girl says. Then, she realizes something. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce myself!" She holds out her hand. "My name is Nagisa Aoi."

The blue haired girl grips it. "And my name is Tamao Suzumi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Nagisa."

"Nice to meet you, too, Tamao," Nagisa giggles. "Let's get along, okay?"

"Yes!" Tamao says excitedly. "Let's get along indeed!"

Together, Tamao leads her new friend, Nagisa, up to their homeroom. She will never forget this moment for as long as she lives.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I really, really hope something like this isn't taken. That's all I can come up with, so please enjoy it. I've also decided not to put in honorifics for this story since I like to change things a little. Also, I've noticed that the Nagisa x Tamao fanfics have expanded over the years, so it's great to see new fanfics about them. But the thing that worries me that if I come up with an idea that's already been taken without me knowing. Overall, like I said before, Tamao deserves Nagisa more than Shizuma, according to other people's opinions. **

**Anyways, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	2. Friendship and Rivalry

**Chapter 2**

**Friendship . . . and Rivalry**

At homeroom, Tamao and Nagisa enter the classroom together and take their seats next to each other. Both of them look at one another and smile as the bell rings to start class. While everyone else takes their seats, the teacher comes in and greets them. Since it's everyone's first day, she starts off with a little introduction about the school and rules to follow while being here. They were also handed out syllabuses to know when to call the teacher, send some e-mails and so on. For Tamao, it seems a little boring and all, but her head shoots up when she hears the last part.

"Also," the teacher says. "The seats you are sitting in right now are your permanent seats until the end of semester. Then, you decide if you want to keep your seats or change."

Tamao and Nagisa turn to each other and squeal quietly to each other. They are in the same class, plus they are gonna have permanent seats, which made it even more exciting. Tamao believes she hasn't been this lucky since middle school. She mostly had trouble making friends since she is a shy girl, but that never stopped her from having a good year. She promised herself that she'll make some friends before entering high school and now she did. Tamao takes a glance at Nagisa and blushes. _I had never seen a girl __this cute before, _she thinks to herself. Nagisa turns and smiles at her while quietly waving. Tamao knew that they were going to be great friends this year.

When class ends, while everyone gets out of their seats, Tamao and Nagisa exit the classroom together and smile at each other. As soon as both of them walk in the hall, they hear some giggling, cheering and even squealing coming from 10 feet in front of them. They notice most people gathered around someone they couldn't see because of the large crowd.

"Wow!" Nagisa says. "Is there a new student coming here, too?"

"I don't know," Tamao replies. "Let's go check it out."

As they come closer, Tamao notices a tall, silver haired girl smiling and flipping her long hair out of the way in confidence. She has beautiful yellow eyes that make some of the guys swoon, too.

"Who . . . is that?" Nagisa asks.

"Oh, that's the new girl, Shizuma Hanazono!" a girl says, happily. "She's really pretty and already popular!"

"I know, right?" a brown haired guy says. "I want to be her boyfriend someday!"

"She's so pretty!" another girl squeals.

Nagisa and Tamao look at the girl in awe. Indeed she is beautiful, yet so serious. Just then, the silver haired girl turns to the two girls and slowly walks up to them. The crowd murmur some things to each other as Shizuma is fully close to Nagisa and Tamao.

"Hello, there," she says. "My name is Shizuma Hanazono.."

"N-nice to meet you," Nagisa says.

"Same here," Tamao adds, furrowing her eyebrows. She doesn't know why, but she can feel a strange aura around Shizuma.

"And you are?"

"Oh! Um . . . Nagisa Aoi."

"And my name's Tamao Suzumi."

Shizuma smiles as she comes close to Nagisa, tipping her chin to her level. "What a wonderful name. Say, shall I walk with you to your next class?"

Tamao frowns as she immediately takes hold of the red haired girl and links her arms with her own. "Sorry, but she's already taken."

The silver haired girl puts her hands on her hips, but keeps a smile on her face. "That's too bad. I really wanted someone to walk with me and chat a little."

"Well, walk with someone else. I believe that I can take care of this."

"As you wish." She goes over and tips Nagisa's chin again with a smile. "But I'll be back soon. Just remember, okay, sweetie?"

_Sweetie!?_ Tamao thinks as anger builds up. _Where did that come from!?_

Shizuma lets go of Nagisa, waves at her as she leaves. The crowd murmur stuff to each other as she walks by them. Tamao remains linked to Nagisa's arm as she frowns at her.

"W-what's wrong, Tamao?" she says, looking frightened.

"I don't know what she's up to," Tamao replies, looking very serious. "But she has no right to do this to you. From this moment on, I'll protect you."

"Th-thank you, Tamao." Nagisa is at a loss for words. She had never seen Tamao this serious about her before. And had never seen a girl like Shizuma flirt with her either. What could be going on in that silver haired girl's head?

"Now then, let's go to class," Tamao says while already leading the way.

"Okay."

With that, the two girls walk together to their next class.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Tamao and Nagisa became very good friends. Not only they walked together to classes, but they also ate lunch together and studied together. Tamao couldn't be any happier than she had been since her years in middle school. She enjoyed her time with Nagisa that the day flew by. By the time school ends, Tamao is eager to ask her friend if they can walk home together and maybe show Nagisa around the house sometime.<p>

"Nagisa," she happily calls. "Want to walk home with me today?"

By the time she says that, Tamao expects a smile on Nagisa's face. But instead, she notices a sad look, which Tamao didn't know why.

"Oh, no thank you," the red haired girl replies softly. "I . . . have some things to do at home."

"Okay. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Nagisa says as she stands up from her desk. "Well . . . it was nice spending time with you, Tamao. Have a good rest of your day."

Tamao blushes. "S-same to you." As Nagisa begins to leave, Tamao's expression turns sad as well. _What could be going on? Surely her life isn't really bad, right?_ Though she tried to stay positive with this, she keeps feeling that something's wrong with her friend. She decides to ask her tomorrow since it was a long day of school. She is about to exit the school when she catches a glimpse Shizuma in the hallway. And right beside her is . . .

"Nagisa!?" Tamao gasps. "What is Shizuma-sama doing here with her? What could she be up to?"

"U-um," Nagisa is blushing and sweating at the same time, unable to find any words to speak to her upperclassman. "It's nice to meet you again and all, but I really have to go. My parents need me."

"Oh, it will be just a little bit," Shizuma says as she tips her chin to her level. "Why don't we get to know each other while we're at it?"

"N-no," the red haired girl says, softly. Her body is unable to move due to the silver haired girl's intense stare. "Please . . . I have to leave."

"It'll just be a moment," Shizuma whispers as she leans in and lightly kiss Nagisa on the lips.

Tamao gasps as she just witness

"There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Shizuma says with a smile.

Nagisa doesn't say anything as she remains paralyzed from the intense moment. Tamao immediately runs over to catch her friend before she falls over.

"Nagisa!" the blue haired girl cries as she catches her friend in time and turns to the silver haired girl with a glare. "What were you trying to do to her!?"

"All I was asking is for us to get to know each other," Shizuma replies, shrugging. "I wasn't doing anything bad, right?"

"You were just kissing her!" Tamao shouts. "And you think I'm gonna let you get away with this!?"

"Hey, it's just a kiss. Big deal. Besides, I want us to be friends."

"Not like this!" Tamao shouts. "Now she's looks like she's out cold from what you just did to her!"

"She looks stunned to me," Shizuma says. "She'll be fine. No worries. Anyway, if she wants to go home, fine. At least I'll be seeing her tomorrow. Let me have a chance with her since you became friends with her today. Maybe she'll want another friend." She turns to leave. "Well, I'll see you both later."

She walks away until she is out of sight. Tamao then looks over to Nagisa and tries to shake her awake.

"Nagisa?"

Nagisa slowly opens her eyes and notices Tamao looking over her with worried eyes. "T-Tamao? Where . . . am I?"

"You're still at the school," Tamao replies. "You must have been stunned by Shizuma-sama's kiss."

"Oh, I see."

Tamao help Nagisa up and looks at her with the same exression. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yes," Nagisa replies. "Well, I better go. See you tomorrow, Tamao."

"See you later, Nagisa."

Nagisa leaves with a sad look on her face with Tamao with the same expression. She is left wondering why Nagisa is looking like this when she's going home. More importantly, why is Shizuma flirting with Nagisa? Could there be something behind all this? At that moment, Tamao could feel something that she's never felt before.

"Could this be . . . jealousy?" Tamao isn't sure herself, but it definitely felt like it to her.

After she adjusts her bag, she is on her way back home, feeling very confused and frustrated at the same time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. There were a lot of things going on, plus I had published some other stories. Now, about Shizuma: I had originally wanted to put a guy in there as a conflict of my story, but I realized that I already had one in one of my stories, so I didn't want it to be similar to my other story. So I HAD to put her in there. So . . . Shizuma is now my antagonist of my story. And yes, I think Shizuma is a major disappointment to the series because she had a choice and broke Nagisa's heart. And now she wants to be with Nagsia again? She should've just freaking let go of the past and be with someone else! That's why I'm a fan of Tamao x Nagisa. **

**Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	3. The Big Secret Revealed

**Chapter 3**

**The Big Secret Revealed**

The next day, Tamao couldn't understand why Nagisa was looking so down yesterday. What was so important that she had to do? Still, family is important, so she decides to let it go for now. But when she arrives at the school, she notices Nagisa having a sad expression again . . . looking like she's about to cry. Feeling bad for her, she quickly runs to her friend.

"Nagisa!" she says. "Are you okay?"

The red-haired girl turns to notice the blue haired girl walking towards her with a worried look on her face. She quickly wipes off a tear and tries to smile. "I'm fine, Tamao."

"No, you're not," Tamao says, not convinced. "I saw you were about to cry over there. Is something the matter? Did you get in trouble with your parents or something?"

Nagisa shakes her head at both of those questions and turns away. "Can we not talk about this, please? You'll only make things worse."

Tamao frowns at this. "Why? We just became friends yesterday."

"It's . . . none of your busiess." With that, Nagisa walks away without another word.

Tamao shakes her head as she stares at her friend. _What's with her? Why doesn't she want me to know anything? _To her, that sounded rude and secretive. But then again, if Tamao believes that Nagisa is having a horrible family life, then she would then understand why she wouldn't talk about it. But her curiosity is still crawling in her body. Before she can say anything, the bell rings and Tamao could do nothing but take her seat next to Nagisa, who is still feeling down.

* * *

><p>Throughout the school day, Nagisa has been the same and nothing has changed. Tamao became even more concerned about her than this morning. She didn't even talk to her because she had nothing to say that could even change the mood. Now that she thinks about it, there may be something that Tamao would not even know about Nagisa. She decides to wait until school is over so that they can talk this over.<p>

As soon as the school day ends, Tamao stands up from her seat and is about to talk to Nagisa when the red head quickly exits the classroom. Tamao gasps at this sudden action and runs after her.

"Nagisa!" She tries to call out. "Wait up!"

But Nagisa wouldn't listen and just kept on running. She doesn't even look where she's going when she bumps into someone familiar.

"Whoa there, girl," Shizuma says as she gently grabs her shoulders. "You'll get hurt if you run too fast."

"Sh-Shizuma-sama?" Nagisa gasps.

The silver haired girl giggles. "Nice to meet you, too, Nagisa."

Tamao stops immediately at the sight of Shizuma and Nagisa close to each other. _It's her again,_ she thinks to herself.

"Now then, what's the hurry, hun?" Shizuma says. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Uh, y-yes," Nagisa replies softly.

"Oh, can I come with you? It probably will be interesting where you'll be going to, right?"

"Um, actually, it's not a good idea to do that."

Shizuma's smile fades. "Oh, and why not?"

Nagisa looks over to notice Tamao standing there, stunned at what's going on. Then, the red-haired girl hangs her head down so low that her long bangs cover her facial expression.

"It's none of your concern," she whispers as she shoves Shizuma out of the way and continues to run off until she exits the school.

Tamao comes over next to Shizuma and glances at her. "What . . . what's going on? I just don't understand."

Shizuma just closes her eyes. "I have no idea. But hey, if Nagisa wants to be alone, then let her be."

"But . . ."

"I mean it, hun." Shizuma says, leaning in close to Tamao's face. "After all, both of us probably have something in common, right?"

Tamao frowns. "What do you mean?"

The silver haired girl just winks. "You'll see." With that, she walks off.

Tamao grits her teeth while clenching her fists in anger. She can't take this anymore and has to find out what the heck is going on with Nagisa before Shizuma does. It seemed like Shizuma is planning to help out Nagisa on her own, but Tamao is worried about what might happen if she did. With no way to talk to her now, the blue haired girl decides to head to the store to buy some food for a bit before heading home. They are low on food since her parents are always busy with stuff and don't bother to go grocery shopping often. She exits the school and heads out to the grocery store a few blocks from there.

She picks up a few things, like eggs, bacon, and a few poultry meats for the week. When she gets to the check out aisle, she sees someone familiar working the cash register. She goes to the 8th aisle where the girl is and is the last person in line. When she comes closer, she can't believe her eyes. _No. Don't tell me that's . . ._

"Good evening," Nagisa says, nonchalantly. "Did you find everything okay?" She doesn't even bother looking at Tamao and just scans the items.

"N-Nagisa?" Tamao is speechless.

"Yes, I'm a cashier," the red haired girl says. "So what?"

"Why didn't you tell me? It's not that bad to have a part time job at this age."

"You still don't get it," Nagisa says softly as she scans the last item. "My life is much worse than that."

"What do you mean?"

Nagisa gasps as she looks down at the floor. "Perhaps I said too much." She quickly bags up the items and hands them to Tamao. "You better go. You're holding up the line."

Tamao continues to look at her friend with a concerned expression and then reluctantly takes the bags and heads out. Now she's majorly worried about her friend. What could Nagisa be hiding that Tamao does not want to know? She thinks about it the whole way to her house.

"I'm home!" Tamao calls as she enters the building.

"Oh, welcome back, Miss Suzumi," Takara says, coming from the kitchen. "You've been gone for a long time. Where were you?" She then notices the grocery bags Tamao is holding. "Oh, you decided to do a little shopping?"

"Yes," Tamao replies softly.

"Do you want me to put them away for you?"

"No, it's okay. I can do it myself." As she goes to the kitchen, Takara stops her.

"Is something the matter? You seem a little down today," the maid says.

Tamao gives her a sad smile. "Well, you see . . . I made this new friend yesterday and everything was going well until I saw her feeling sad. She said that she had something important to do and I just went with it for now. But today, she looked even worse, like she was about to cry or something. I tried asking her what's wrong, but she won't talk to me. And I really want to help her out. Is there anything that I can do?"

Takara rubs her chin for a moment. "Hmm . . . well, I'm afraid I can't be much help since your friend is unable to tell her problems to you. The only thing I can say is to try your best to help her out no matter what. You're probably a good friend to her anyway and you always need to show that."

Tamao nods. "You're right. Thanks, Miss Yoshimi."

"Anytime," Takara says with a smile. "Say, would you like anything for dinner before you head up?"

"Just some roast chicken with rice and gravy," Tamao replies. "With mixed vegetables."

"Sure thing."

After Tamao puts away the groceries, she heads up to her bedroom and plops down on her bed. She thinks about what her maid had said. She will help out Nagisa, even if it means trying to force herself to. _Nagisa looked really stressed today, _she thinks. _Now, I may not know anything about her, but that doesn't mean that I should stop caring about her. She needs help and I know just what to do._ With that in mind, she changes into her casual clothing and comes down to help out her maid. _Whatever it takes, I'll keep on trying until Nagisa cheers up._

* * *

><p>The next day during lunch, Tamao seeks to find Nagisa until she notices her alone in the hallway and is about to exit the doors until Shizuma appears from a corner, slightly surprised to see Nagisa out here.<p>

"Oh, hello again," Shizuma says, smiling at her. "Do you want to eat lunch together?"

"No," Nagisa says, turning away. "I'm not in the mood."

Tamao approaches her and shoves her out of the way. "That's enough, Shizuma-sama! You're no help at all!"

"Oh, but I will be," Shizuma says she holds out her lunch. "I'm not going anywhere until you take me with you."

"And what if I say no?" Tamao says, now in Shizuma's face.

"Who knows? I may take your Nagisa away and keep her for myself," Shizuma replies, shrugging. "I may have other plans, though."

Tamao ponders at this as she is left with no other choice. "Fine. But you better not cause any trouble!"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I won't."

The three of them walk out of the building and sit down in the courtyard. As they sit down to eat, Shizuma opens her lunch, revealing a fancy lunchbox and fantastic looking food.

"So, Nagisa," Shizuma says. "What do you think?"

"It's looks . . . good," Nagisa says, focusing on her food. She doesn't even bother to even comment on the lunch box for some reason.

"Ah, I see that Tamao has a fancy looking lunch as well," Shizuma says. "Does your maid make you lunch for you?"

Tamao frowns. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious," The silver haired girl examines Tamao's lunch and takes notice of a bunch of cash sticking out of Tamao's wallet. "Oh? What do we have here?" She suddenly snatches the wallet out of the blue haired girl's pocket.

"Hey!" Tamao exclaims. "Give it back!"

"So . . . I knew this would come up soon," Shizuma says, waving the wallet at Nagisa.

"What do you mean?" Tamao has a sudden feeling of guilt and regret.

"Remember what I told you earlier? We might both have something in common and that could be why Nagisa is feeling so down." She hands Tamao her wallet, in which she snatches it away.

"What are you trying to get at!?" Tamao shouts, feeling so angry that she wants this girl out of her sight.

"We're both rich," Shizuma says.

Nagisa gasps at this and Tamao looks back at her friend, trembling.

"N-Nagisa, I-I can explain," the blue haired girl stutters.

"So now we all know each other's secrets," Shizuma says, crossing her arms. "You and I are rich while Nagisa is stinking poor."

Tamao gasps this time. She had no idea that Nagisa is in that kind of situation.

"How do I know this?" Shizuma says. "Well, for starters, Nagisa is so quick into coming home right away to help out her parents. Therefore, she needs some money to keep them going, so she got a part-time job at a grocery store. I know this because I happen to go to that store as well."

"Stop it," Tamao whispers.

"So, why so glum, Nagisa?" Shizuma says, tipping her chin to her level. "Why keep it a secret from the rest of us? I can help you." She kisses her forehead. "And I can promise you that."

"Just go," Tamao says, standing up.

Shizuma turns to the blue haired girl. "Why? I'm not finished."

"I don't care," Tamao points to her right. "Just get out. You're not any help at all, not even when your eating lunch with us. Can't you see Nagisa is getting really stressed?"

Shizuma sighs and stands up as well. "I'm only telling the truth. Besides, keeping secrets from each other isn't good for friends, right?"

"I know. But you're not helping the situation at all. I can take care of this for now."

"As you wish." Before she leaves, Shizuma comes close to Tamao's ear. "But know this: I shall have Nagisa no matter what. You have no chance since I have a more fancy home and family life than yours." She then walks off with a smile on her face.

Tamao turns to Nagisa, who has her head down so low that her long bangs cover her facial expression.

"Nagisa?" Tamao says as she tries to reach her hand towards her.

"Why?" Nagisa chokes a sob. "Why did it have to come to this?"

"I don't understand."

"Now you're gonna laugh at me because I'm poor!" Nagisa cries as she lifts her head up, revealing already falling tears from her eyes. "I never wanted this to happen, but now it did! I can never show myself ever again!"

Tamao tries to put her hand on her poor friend's shoulder when Nagisa suddenly stands up. "Go ahead. Laugh at my true family life. Laugh at the fact that I am a stupid cashier. Laugh at anything else you might know about me. Because I can't live with it anymore." She wipes her tears and turns away. "So . . . I hope you're happy." She then runs off with her food left behind, leaving Tamao standing there, feeling very sorry for the girl who's heart got struck by lightning. Shizuma's lightning bolt, to be exact.

"Nagisa . . ."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so it begins with Tamao as "The Rich" and Nagisa as "The Poor". I figured you guys have already known that from the title. So . . . how will Tamao help out Nagisa? And will Tamao keep Shizuma out of their lives or let Shizuma ruin everything? Stay tuned to find out.**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	4. Comfort

**Chapter 4**

**Comfort**

It's been a week since Nagisa had found out about both Tamao's and Shizuma's family life. But Tamao had also found out about Nagisa's life as well. And her life isn't . . . well, the same as Tamao's or Shizuma's. And Tamao couldn't believe that Shizuma had hurt Nagisa's feelings without thinking of the consequences. And she wants to help her? Why would anyone like Shizuma want to help Nagisa when she's just trying to hurt her feelings and compete with Tamao? This time, Tamao wants to talk with Nagisa and try to help her out the best she could without Shizuma getting in the way.

But it just isn't possible. For the whole week, Nagisa seemed really sad and depressed over what Shizuma had told her. She wouldn't even talk to Tamao. All she did was just do the lesson, eat lunch by herself and then leave to do her job. This worries Tamao a lot more than she did the day they first met. She wonders if she'll ever get a chance to talk to Nagisa again.

As soon as the bell rings for dismissal, Nagisa gets up from her seat and immediately leaves to go to the grocery store. Tamao remains sitting there, thinking about how she will confront her friend and talk her into getting back on her feet. However, she begins to hear some rumors spreading around the classroom.

"Did you hear?" a girl says. "The new student, Nagisa Aoi. She's a very poor girl that works as a cashier."

"Really?" a guy says. "I had no idea."

"And here's another thing. I heard that there are 2 rich girls in this building. Their names are Tamao Suzumi and Shizuma Hanazono."

"Wow!" another girl says, "That must be pretty amazing considering the fact that the poor girl became friends with 2 rich people."

"Yes, but poor people are just bums. All they do is just beg for money, making the other people feel bad for them. I wouldn't want to be that person."

"You're right." another guy says. "They just want some attention. Which is why most people don't like poor people."

Tamao frowns at this conversation people are having. _How dare they talk behind Nagisa's back! __I bet its all Shizuma-sama's idea! _Why would they want to dislike poor people? Is this what Nagisa had feared if people had found out? Apparently, Tamao had found the answer . . . right in front of her. She has no time to talk to worry about Shizuma right now. She only cares about Nagisa and she needs to cheer her up soon or else she'll be depressed probably for the rest of her life, maybe even worse, think about ending her life. She doesn't want that. So, ignoring all conversations, she runs out of the classroom and is about to exit the school when she bumps into a certain silver haired girl. Tamao frowns as she looks up at her. _Does she always arrive here at this time?_ she thinks.

"Oh, it's you," Shizuma says, bluntly.

"Look I don't have time to talk with you," Tamao says. "I have to talk to Nagisa." She is about to walk out of the building when Shizuma speaks up.

"You can't do that."

Tamao angrily turns around. "And why not?"

Shizuma just calmly examines her nails. "Poor people can't be bothered. They are too busy with getting other people's attention on getting money."

"So it _was _you who spread all those rumors!"

"Me? Why would I be spreading rumors?"

"I heard the exact same thing from my classmates and I'm just wondering if you were the one who started all this!"

Shizuma just shrugs. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But here's the thing: since both of us are rich, I guess this means competition, don't you think?"

Tamao turns away and crosses her arms. "I'm in no mood for competiion!"

"Oh? Giving up already, I see?"

"I said I'm not in the mood!"

"Fine." Shizuma walks over and whispers in Tamao's ear. "Then, I'll just take Nagisa away from you and both of us will have a good time."

Tamao swiftly turns to the silver haired girl. "You can't do this!"

"And why not?" Shizuma says, flipping her hair. "After all, we both have something else in common."

"And what is that supposed to mean!?"

"Both of us have a desire to be with Nagisa," Shizuma says. "Or should I say, both of us love her."

Tamao blushes bright red. "W-what are you talking about!? How did you know I l-love her!?"

Shizuma just giggles. "You're blushing right now. So that means that you're in love with her. It's not so bad being gay once you get used to it. I myself have been infatuated with other girls before, so I know what I'm talking about." She turns her back towards her. "Like I said earlier, I have a far more fancier life than yours, so I can do whatever I want with my wealth to cheer up Nagisa."

"Y-you can't just buy her love!" Tamao cries. "That's wrong!"

"So what?"

"You hurt Nagisa's feelings!" Tamao shouts. "So, there's no way she'll ever cheer up, even with your stinking money!"

"Ah, I see." Shizuma slightly turns her head towards the blue haired girl. "But that still doesn't stop me from trying to compete against you."

"I told you I'M NOT IN THE FREAKING MOOD!" Tamao couldn't take this woman anymore. She just wishes she would just leave them alone and let Tamao help Nagisa out.

"Suit yourself." Shizuma says as she begins to walk away. "But you should think about your decision, Tamao. From here on out, I will be one step ahead of you. One _step_ ahead."

"Yeah, whatever!" Tamao huffs as she turns away and crosses her arms. "Just go! I had enough of you!"

Shizuma just chuckles and walks off. Tamao grits her teeth and clenches her fists in anger. _Stupid witch! _she thinks. She can't believe Shizuma would want to have a competition with her just because they have similar family life. But none of that matters anymore. First, she has to cheer her up and find some ways to help her out. So, she quickly heads out to the same grocery store that Nagisa works in and tries to look for her. She fortunately finds her, still at the cash register, scanning items for people. She decides to buy a couple of items just to meet up and have a quick talk with her, so she just randomly takes a couple of candy bars and gets in line.

The line moves pretty quickly and when it's Tamao's turn, she puts the two items on the conveyor belt.

"Good evening," Nagisa says. "Find everything okay?"

"Yes," Tamao says. _Is that her job to greet people like that? _she thinks. "H-hey, once your shift is over, do you want to meet up out here so we can talk?"

"My shift doesn't end for another half-hour," Nagisa says. "So its impossible to meet with you now."

"I don't mind," Tamao says. "Besides, the weather's nice, so I'll just wait out by the entrance. I . . . want to take you to my home."

Nagisa stops for a moment after putting the items in a small bag and hands it to Tamao. "Why do you want to do that?"

"Please trust me, Nagisa," the blue haired girl says.

The red haired girl thinks about it for a moment. "Alright."

Tamao brightens a little. At least Nagisa accepted the offer. That's a good place to start. So with that, Tamao takes the bag, heads outside by the entrance and contacts Takara.

* * *

><p>At exactly a half-hour later, Nagisa finally comes out of the store, meets up with Tamao and the two walk together to her mansion. Nagisa's eyes widen in amazement as she looks at the huge white building. Both of them enter the front doors and kick their shoes off.<p>

"I'm home!" Tamao calls.

In a few seconds, Takara comes in and greets Tamao with a smile. "Welcome back, Miss Suzumi. And . . . who's this cute girl?"

"Miss Yoshimi, I would like you to meet Nagisa Aoi, the new student I was telling you about," Tamao says, gesturing her hand towards her friend.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nagisa says, bowing respectfully to her.

"Same to you," Takara says, bowing back to her. "My name is Takara Yoshimi, one of Miss Suzumi's head maids."

"Wow!" Nagisa says. "A head maid? Is it like a leader or something?"

"Sort of," Tamao says. "You see, she's been serving us for a long time, even before I was born. So, that's why she's called the head maid."

"My goodness, that's incredible!" Nagisa exclaims.

"Oh, shall I prepare a bed for you, Miss Aoi?" Takara asks.

"You can do that?"

"Mm-hmm. We can provide you with some mattresses and see which one you like."

"Um, I think we should go with a sleeping bag for now," Tamao says. "Besides, she's only staying for a day."

"Okay," the blonde maid says. "Well, Miss Aoi, you can come here for as many times as you like."

"Really!? Thank you so much!"

"No problem. Now then, would you like a room, Miss Aoi?"

"No, I would like to stay in Tamao's room. After all, she did offer a sleeping bag, which isn't bad for me."

The blonde maid nods. "I see. Well then, both of you should get changed. Dinner's gonna be ready in about a half-hour."

"Okay."

Both of them head upstairs to Tamao's room and quickly change into some casual clothing. Tamao offered Nagisa her own clothing while she's at it and lets her hair down, revealing her long hair. Nagisa looks at Tamao in awe.

"Wow!" Nagisa says. "I never knew you looked this pretty with your hair down."

Tamao blushes as she smiles. "Oh! Th-thank you! You look cute with your hair down as well."

"Thank you." She brushes a few strands. "I don't usually wear it often, but it's really nice of you to say that."

"Same with you."

Tamao doesn't know why, but after Nagisa had complemented her on her hair, she could feel her heart beat super fast and blush at the same time. She then recalls what Shizuma had said to her. _Am I __really . . . in love with Nagisa?_ Not that she has never been gay before, but she has seen a few girls that are lesbians. Now, she's experiencing this for herself, which is really surprising to her. _  
><em>

"Tamao?" Nagisa says, taking notice of Tamao's blush. "Are you okay?"

The blue haired girl quickly snaps out of it and waves her hands in defense. "Ah! Y-yes, I'm fine! I just sort of spaced out a little!"

"Uh-huh." Nagisa doesn't seem too convinced, but decides to go with it for now. Suddenly, her expression turns a bit sad for some reason. Tamao could tell that she's still not over Shizuma's words to Nagisa.

"Hey," Tamao says as she puts a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we eat together? My maid is a really good cook, so you'll really like it."

Nagisa turns to her friend and smiles. "I guess you're right."

"Good, then let's go."

* * *

><p>10 minutes later, Tamao and Nagisa are now at the table, sitting together as Takara serves them meatloaf with rice and mixed vegetables. Nagisa takes a bite out of it and her eyes widen in amazement.<p>

"This is really good!" Nagisa exclaims.

"I'm glad you like it," the blonde maid giggles.

"Tamao, you were telling the truth! You're maid is absolutely an amazing cook!"

The blue haired girl giggles as well. "She's not that great, but her food is always really tasty. That's also why she's the head maid here."

Nagisa takes another bite and another until her plate is clear.

"Would you like seconds?" Takara asks.

"Oh, yes, please!" Nagisa says, happily.

Tamao smiles as she watches her friend enjoy her maid's cooking. She wishes she could at least prove that rich people can also be helpful people and not some idiots who only care about themselves and their money. She will definitely prove it for not only Shizuma, but also Nagisa. For now, this is a good start since Nagisa experienced a very nice maid who can cook very well and staying at a rich person's home. The two continue eating until their bellies are full from Takara's good cooking. While the blonde maid clears the table, Tamao and Nagisa head upstairs to prepare the bed and everything.

* * *

><p>Late that night, before everyone is asleep, Tamao comes out of the bathroom in her nightgown and notices Nagisa sitting on her bed, now in pink pajamas. Her expression seems depressed again. After all the good things Tamao had tried to give her, it still isn't enough and this frustrates Tamao. <em>Is this really not good enough just like Shizuma-sama said?<em> _No! Forget her! I need to focus on Nagisa! She is still stressed about her family life and I need to help her!_ With that, she slowly approaches her. _  
><em>

"Nagisa," she says. "Is there something on your mind?"

The red haired girl stays silent for a bit longer as she hangs her head down, looking like she's about to cry. "Tamao . . . I never knew . . . your life could be this great."

"Nagisa, that's not . . ."

"Compared to my family, you have a wonderful maid who cooks excellent food, a wonderful home and a nice bed to sleep in. But me . . . my father had passed away 6 years ago due to a heart attack. It's just me and my mother now. We've been working our butts off to earn as much money as we could to keep ourselves going. But . . . we always go broke whenever we buy too much of what we wanted. We're low on food, our house isn't as good as yours and we always have to clean. But even worse . . . I never have any time with my mother."

Tamao gasps at this.

"We're always working so hard that we had forgotten to take a break and have some time to ourselves. I love my mother, but sometimes, it's really hard to find some time to my mom. The same goes for her." A tear falls from her cheek. "I didn't want this to happen. I never wanted this to happen to us. But . . . as soon as it happened, my life isn't the same since. Everyone at school laughed at me because I'm now poor and has to work to earn some money. Nobody understood what I'm going through, nor even care because they thing poor people just want some attention."

"Nagisa . . ." Tamao looks at her sympathetically. She never knew her life was this bad since her father passed away. And with her mother not spending as much time with her daughter is just horrible.

The red haired girl lets out a few sniffles. "I *sniff* I never wanted some attention! Poor people aren't like that at all! All they are trying to do is find some people who are willing to help them out and maybe even take care of them for a while! Even homeless people are like that, too! I . . . I just wanted to live a happy life." More tears keep falling down Nagisa's face. "Maybe it's best if I wasn't here. Then, you and Shizuma-sama would stop competing against each other and worry about me. All my life is-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Tamao suddenly shouts.

Nagisa gasps as she looks up at her friend. "T-Tamao?"

"Can't you see!? You do have someone who is helping you! I don't think you're like that at all either! You're just trying your hardest to keep your family going and have enough food to survive!" She sits next to her friend and grabs her shoulders while getting close to crying. "So, please, don't think about ending your life right now! Look at who's helping you! Look at who's been your friend since the first day! Look at who offered to take you to her home and feed you really good food!"

"Tamao . . ."

Tears are now falling from the blue haired girl's eyes. "Nagisa, I don't want you to leave. Not like this. I've been so excited to have you as a friend. I don't want it to end right now. I need you. You're mother needs you. Think about what might happen if you did that."

"B-but . . . Shizuma-sama said-"

"Forget her! You should think about who's in front of you right now! I can help you get through this! Even though I'm rich, I can become a helpful person instead of a selfish girl who only cares about money and herself. Now, I'm not really like that, but you know what I mean."

Nagisa nods.

"So, please. Stay by my side." Tamao hugs her friend tightly. "Promise me that, Nagisa. Stay here."

Nagisa's eyes water so much that more and more tears fall freely. Then, she could no longer hold it in and lets out her sobs. She now understands that Tamao is there for her and is always willing to help her out whenever she can. And though she's rich, she now knows that not all rich people are bad. If she gets to know them a bit better, she'll be able to tell whether or not they are worth being a friend. Nagisa continues to let out her sobs and everything she's been holding back for a long time as Tamao keeps on hugging her and stroking her hair.

"I'm always here for you," she whispers. "Nagisa."

The red haired girl just nods as she keeps on crying. "Th-thank you *sniff* Tamao! For being such a good friend!"

The sobbing only lasted for about 10 minutes until Nagisa calms down. The two then head to their beds and Tamao turns out the light. However, about a half-hour later, Nagisa gets up with her pillow close to her face and gently taps Tamao's shoulder.

"Um, h-hey, Tamao?"

The blue haired girl looks up at her friend. "Yes?" She notices that Nagisa is hugging her pillow close to her face, which makes her giggle softly. _So cute! _she thinks._  
><em>

"Can I . . . sleep with you? I'm too scared to sleep alone."

Tamao sits up and nods. "Of course you can." With that, she scoots over and Nagisa snuggles close to her friend.

Under the covers, Nagisa puts an arm around Tamao. "Hey."

"Yes?"

"No matter what, let's be friends forever. I don't care if you come from a rich family anymore. All I care about is my best friend who is willing to help me."

Tamao blushes and nods. "Yes. Friends forever."

After about a few minutes, the two drift off to sleep while in each other's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>Yuri's Omake<strong>

**Me: Whew! Did this in one night! I didn't want to disappoint my fans.**

**Tamao: Yes, but there's just one problem, Yuri.**

**Me: What?**

**Nagisa: Why would you want to put in the drama so early? That's not how stories originally go, right?**

**Me: I don't think it matters. Besides, calming music has helped me develop this chapter.**

**Tamao: Even so, I can't believe you were up this late writing this.**

**Me: Uh, l-let's talk about this later, shall we!?**

**Shizuma: Oh, we can't have that now, can we?**

**Me: (jumps back in shock) Hi, Shizuma! What are you doing here!?**

**Shizuma: (walks up to Yuri and tips her chin) Just want to make some friends. How about a little kiss before we go?**

**Me: N-no . . .**

***smooch***

**(Yuri faints)**

****A few minutes later****

**Me: W-what happened?**

**Chikaru: Oh, you just fainted because Shizuma kissed you.**

**Me: She did?**

**Chikaru: Yep. And she is very impressed on how you put her in this chapter as well. Though, some people are getting tired of it. **

**Me: Don't worry. I'll give them a break for a while.**

**Chikaru: That's good. Because your last review had a lot of Shizuma bashing. (giggles)**

**Me: That's great. That means that I'm doing my character's personality right.**

**Chikaru: Excellent. Well, anyway, let's end this short for now. Look forward to more of Yuri's Omake's in the future! She decided to put it in because she wanted to do it for fun!**

**Me: N-no, that's not like that at all! **

**Chikaru: (giggles) Oh? Let's see how our fans think. **

**Me: (slumps down on her knees) Please do. **

**Chikaru: Yuri does not own Strawberry Panic or any of its characters. **


End file.
